Summary

“Developmental Trauma: The Hidden Epidemic” begins with a pair of quotes – first, from the rejection by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) of the research-based claim that childhood trauma causes developmental disruptions in adults; second, from an article contradicting the APA’s claim and stating outright that “childhood abuse … is an evil that we must acknowledge and confront if we aim to do anything about the unchecked cycle of violence in this country” (151). Author van der Kolk then prologues the chapter with descriptions of three children in whom he can draw direct connections between childhood abuse and disruptive behavior as teens and young adults. He then claims that the problems of these and other, similar children can be resolved only if effort is made to find out what is at the root of their troubles; if effort is also made...